Expert Comment, Rob Corbet – Data Protection Ireland, Volume 10 Issue 2

The Court of Appeal in England and Wales has recently given judgments in two cases relating to the rights and limitations attaching to data subject access rights ('DSARs'). This is a vexed issue for data controllers who receive large volumes of widely formulated DSARs, and who struggle to understand the boundaries attaching to the rights of access and the associated exceptions. The cases bring some useful clarity, particularly in relation to the 'disproportionate effort' exemption and the relevance, or otherwise, of the data subject's motive in making the request.

Dawson-Damer v Taylor Wessing

This case, an appeal of a High Court decision, considered three issues which regularly arise in the context of contentious DSARs.